The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.

"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16, KJV)."We don't hear much about wisdom in the modern-day churches and, when we do, we hear little about innocence. This day and age is a time of self-serving religion on its best day, not to mention what it is on the worst of days! The King James Version reads "harmless as a dove" whereas the New American Standard reads, "...innocent as doves." Either way, I see a lot of wise people who can preach, teach, prophesy, and more, yet they lack the ability to be innocent or harmless, aka gentle. This book is designed to bring the body of Christ, especially leaders of any vocation, to learn what it is to be innocent and wise at the same time. There's a very good reason as to why God gave such explicit instruction; it's because He understands that, like Lucifer, we can be the wisest of them all yet allow our wisdom to be corrupted by pride.

"In July 1968, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) opened an office in Washington, D.C., for monitoring the actions of the federal government's various branches. Given American Mennonites' long history of noninvolvement in political affairs, this shift toward engagement was dramatic indeed. In this in-depth study, Keith Graber Miller shows how the church's distinctive traditions of pacifism, humility, and service have informed and shaped the nature of its activities in Washington." "Graber Miller argues that Mennonites have both influenced the national policymaking debate and have themselves been influenced by their increasing exposure to it." "Wise As Serpents, Innocent as Doves not only explores the twentieth-century transformations among American Mennonites but illuminates the larger issues of religious lobbying in the nation's capital. Graber Miller suggests that the Mennonites have helped redefine what it means to be a lobbyist. Because the Mennonites' numbers are too few to make them a politically significant force, he argues, their only credibility in Washington lies in an astute and accurate analysis of how the world is and in the integrity of their witness to the truth as they see it."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Jesus said: be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Are serpents really wise? Why would Jesus give such advice? Take a journey in this riveting book by Dag Heward-Mills, and discover the hidden wisdom of the serpent.

In this second volume, Dr. Cook provides a series of articles that are part of his morning meditations on Scripture. Meditation, in the biblical sense, is an intentional filling of the mind with divine viewpoint; specifically, God’s Word. The purpose is to saturate our thinking with Scripture so that it will permeate all aspects of our reasoning and guide us into God’s will. These articles touch on subjects such as soteriology, grace, worship, righteous living, and character studies of people such as Saul and David. The overall intent of the book is to inform and inspire believers to live righteously before God.

Statement Analysis is the scientific process by which deception is detected through the words used. Analytical Interviewing is a legally sound, non-intrusive, non-interpretive method of gaining information from the interviewee based upon the subject's own language. These techniques are invaluable to corporations, businesses, families, law enforcement, teachers, lawyers, therapists, investigators, doctors, sales and anyone in need of protection from deception. Law enforcement separates the innocent from the guilty, businesses can screen out deceptive applicants before they become employees who file fraudulent claims, including unemployment, disability and various fraudulent suits. The author uses examples from murders, missing persons, theft, sexual assault and even child molestation to show how words will reveal the truth from deception, and that trained listening is a skill that, once acquired, will put the trainee at a strong advantage over the deceptive.